


Mercedes's New Home

by bethany81707



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/F, Flash Fic, Fluff, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-03
Updated: 2019-11-03
Packaged: 2021-01-21 00:09:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21290462
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bethany81707/pseuds/bethany81707
Summary: An alternative look into Mercedes's entry path into Garreg Mach. House Dominic offers her aid as she does in turn.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 6





	Mercedes's New Home

**Author's Note:**

> This was a short and simple idea I fiddled with for kicks.

Mercedes woke up Annette, knowing today would be a big day for her. She had heard the plans of Baron Dominic last night as she tidied up the dinner table. Annette had been accepted into Garreg Mach’s Officers Academy thanks to her high marks from the School of Sorcery, and she would spend a year learning the art of warfare to round out her talents. A whole year separated from her beloved mistress…

“You look tense, Mercie,” Annette said, as Mercedes helped her get dressed into some nice-looking riding wear. Mercedes didn’t want to tell her about her opportunity. That was for her uncle to handle while she cried.

“I wish the very best for you, you know that, right, Annie?” Mercedes asked.

“Well, yeah! We’re inseparable, Mercie!” Annette proclaimed. Mercedes nodded, leading Annette downstairs to have the talk with her uncle about this new opportunity. Mercedes was happy for Annette- truly, she was. But Annette was truly her closest friend. When a bandit attack on the way home from the school of sorcery had Mercedes captured and nearly stolen, Annette fought them off single-handedly. The shaken Mercedes had then been taken to the estate of Dominic, where Annette had convinced both their families to allow Mercedes to stay. Officially, Mercedes was Annette’s personal handmaiden.

“Worried about what happens when Annie leaves?” Annette’s mother asked. Mercedes nodded. Perhaps she’d go see her adoptive father again. He had moved into Dominic territory, but kept at his merchant business.

“...I would like for you to accompany Annie to the monastery,” Annette’s mother said. Mercedes looked up, to see the wide smile on her face.

“I know you like her, Mercedes. Officially, I can’t support this until Annie is eighteen, but you two look so cute together I can’t help it,” Annette’s mother told her, sending Mercedes blushing. Baroness Dominic noticed Annette’s briefing was over, and urged Mercedes to go upstairs and help Annette pack her supplies. Since there would be school uniforms and other such amenities, they could hasten the process by skipping otherwise crucial steps. Sentimentals, of course, took the place of daywear.

When they came back downstairs, it was to see a few more sacks- the funds for Annette’s tuition- and a letter of recommendations and results. Baron and Baroness Dominic helped load this cargo onto Annette and Mercedes’s horses, and the Baroness said her final goodbyes.

“You be good, Annie. And Mercie… be safe,” the Baroness said, kissing both on the forehead before they pulled up onto their horses.

“I expect to hear good things from you,” the Baron added.

“I’ll be the best student in class!” Annette proclaimed. Mercedes beamed. Annette’s diligence was one of the reasons she gravitated towards her in the school of sorcery. Of course, another part of the reason was that her focus on her assignments came at the expense of her health and sleep, so her job was to make sure she got fed and rested. Mercedes wondered who would keep her healthy without her around.

_ Dear Sothis, am I going to be worrying about her all year? _

Thanks to an escort, Mercedes and Annette arrived in Garreg Mach without interruption. The escort helped unload the horses and give the bags to Mercedes and Annette, before breaking formation and heading into town.

“Don’t forget about me!” Mercedes called after them.

“Please forget about her! I want Mercie as long as I can have her!” Annette called. The pair climbed up to the Reception Hall, to see a stern-looking man offering directions to a student. When he was done, he turned to them, smiling politely.

“You would be the young Miss Dominic, correct? My name is Seteth, and I am in charge of the administrative duties here at Garreg Mach,” he said.

“I’m fine with Annette, Mr Seteth. This here is Mercedes, my handmaiden. She’s just here to send me off, sadly…” Annette said, handing Seteth the envelope. Seteth chuckled as he opened it.

“Just Seteth will do,” he said, flicking through the papers idly. His eyebrow raised as he went, and Mercedes suddenly realised that he had been looking over the papers for longer than expected for a routine task that he was merely double checking. Also, the pile of papers was thicker than she expected.

“Those sacks are your tuition, correct? May I see?” Seteth asked. Annette nodded, and Mercedes opened the nearest sack to find they were wrong. The sack Mercedes has found contained amenities and sentimentals that belonged to Mercedes.

“...I swear I didn’t pack this, this was the Baroness’s doing!” Mercedes explained, checking the other sacks and finding the gold she expected. Seteth’s face remained neutral as he ran a quick count of the amount.

“Mercedes von Martritz, I would like to welcome you as a student of Garreg Mach,” Seteth said. Mercedes was completely silent in her shock, but Annette’s scream covered them both.

“Mercie, this is great! Now you don’t have to go back home!” Annette cried out, hugging Mercedes tightly. Seteth gave a chuckle, calling to have the money carried off and counted properly until Annette remembered her dignity and allowed the pair to stand back up.

“I’m very honoured, Seteth. What was in those papers to get my acceptance, might I ask?” Mercedes asked.

“Your results from Fhirdiad’s school of sorcery. Your marks with Faith are as impressive to us as Annette’s marks in Reason. You also got a formal endorsement from Baroness Dominic. As far as the monastery is concerned, you are a student on equal terms with Annette,” Seteth explained.

“...I hope it will be all right if I continue some of my duties as Annette’s handmaiden? I’ve been keeping her fed and cared for since we became friends, and not because I’m her handmaiden,” Mercedes asked.

“As long as you keep on top of your studies, I see no reason why not,” Seteth assured her. He found two adjacent rooms for them, gave them a map, and sent them on their way.


End file.
